Chapter 244: The Eve of the Wedding
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Madam Meng was from Jiangnan and had come here because she had followed her brother to the Capital to take the examination. Her brother had pa.s.sed the imperial examination, but he did not obtain His Majesty’s favor during the palace examination. After that, he could not focus on his studies anymore. Madam Meng used the money in her hand to start a business in embroidery. At first, it was just an inconspicuous small stall. Gradually, there were more and more customers who came back. The business was too busy, so she accepted apprentices and bought over the first shop. In recent years, the business of Yunshui Aula has grown bigger and bigger. Although the overall scale was not the boss of the industry, Madam Meng’s influence was definitely something that ordinary embroiderers could not compare to.
“Sit.” Madam Meng pointed to a chair.
Yu Wan and Bai Tang sat down.
The two of them began to look around Madam Meng’s room. The room was just like her, filled with the gentle beauty of Jiangnan cloth. In terms of looks, Madam Meng was not too outstanding. After putting on makeup, she was barely delicate and pretty. However, her clothes were extremely good, which greatly made up for her temperament. Therefore, no matter who saw her, they would feel their eyes light up.
Bai Tang owned a restaurant and paid more attention to it. She knew all the powerful chefs in the restaurants. To be honest, she had never heard of Madam Meng’s reputation, but this did not affect her admiration for her. Just the two moves that Madam Meng used to cut her dress was worthy of the words “hero among women”.
!!
Madam Meng personally measured Yu Wan.
The disciples who were peeping outside the door were stunned. Ever since Madam Meng had them, she had rarely made clothes for guests, let alone measure them herself. Such work was often handed over to them.
“Who came? Why did you let Madam Meng do it herself?” A round-faced embroiderer asked.
The oval-faced embroiderer at the side said, “I don’t know. Just now, she had a fight with Miss Xiao in the hall and almost angered Miss Xiao. Madam Meng even came forward to help her out.”
“That Miss Xiao is as fat as a pig and always likes to wear thin clothes. She’s so ugly!” Another embroiderer muttered.
The two of them turned around and glared at her. Although they felt that Miss Xiao was indeed fat and didn’t know how to pick her clothes, no matter what, she was a guest. How could she say such things behind her back? Not only would she offend others, but their Yunshui Aula’s reputation would also not be good.
The little embroiderer knew that she had said something wrong, so she lowered her head resentfully and stopped talking.
In the room, Madam Meng had already measured the size and asked Yu Wan what clothes she wanted to make.
Yu Wan did not elaborate. After all, it was her first time being the Young Madam. She did not know what occasions she would experience after marriage. She only said, “Clothes suitable for after-marriage. Just a few sets of clothes for traveling and home.”
“Miss is getting married?” Madam Niang said with a surprised smile.
“Yes.” Yu Wan smiled and nodded. Her expression was generous and magnanimous, and she did not have the panic and shyness of ordinary women before their wedding. In Yu Wan’s opinion, this wedding was only to be able to legitimately detoxify someone. She did not care much about her status.
“Miss, you don’t like this marriage?” Madam Meng looked at Yu Wan and asked.
“I like it,” Yu Wan said. No matter how she looked at it, Yan Jiuchao was a suitable marriage partner. Moreover, with her status, she was climbing the social ladder by marrying him. How could she not like him?
Madam Niang smiled. “I thought you had some difficulties.”
Yu Wan asked, “Am I very obvious?”
Madam Meng smiled and shook her head. “Actually, I can tell that you like that young master, but you don’t look like someone who likes to marry early.”
Of course, she didn’t like to marry early, but there was no other way. However, this was something that the outsiders should know.
When Yu Wan and Bai Tang went downstairs to the lobby, the girl who had fought with Yu Wan had already left. It was said that she did not buy the dress she was wearing and left angrily.
Bai Tang pulled Yu Wan into an alley and looked around. After confirming that there was no one else, she whispered, “Ah Wan, I heard some news recently.”
The news of Yan Jiuchao’s marriage caused a huge commotion in the Capital. All kinds of rumors appeared like snowflakes. Yu Wan was quiet in the countryside, but Bai Tang had heard it a few times.
“What news? Tell me,” Yu Wan said.
Bai Tang hesitated.
“About me and Yan Jiuchao?” Yu Wan asked. It was not difficult to guess. She could tell from Bai Tang’s expression.
“I…” Bai Tang found it difficult to speak, but she still went all out for Yu Wan’s marriage. She made up her mind and said,” I heard that he has a short life! ”
Yu Wan burst into laughter.
Bai Tang panicked. “You’re still laughing! How can you laugh? You… you… aren’t you afraid that you’ll marry and…”
In the end, she could not say the word “widow”.
These words before the wedding ruined the mood, but Yu Wan was not angry. Instead, she pinched her little hand comfortingly. “It’s just rumors. Don’t take it seriously.” Even if he was once a short-lived ghost, since she was here, she would definitely treat him.
What she was more concerned about was who had spread this kind of gossip. Not many people knew about Yan Jiuchao’s illness, and it did not matter if it spread early or late. However, it spread at this critical juncture, as if they had ulterior motives.
Did he want to anger Yan Jiuchao to death and make him unable to complete the wedding? That might be too clumsy. In this world, only Yan Jiuchao could anger others to death. No one could anger him to death.
Since Bai Tang could hear the news, the people from the Young Master Manor naturally heard it too. Shadow Thirteen entered the study with a livid expression.
Yan Jiuchao was still sitting on the armchair, casually playing with a Kongming Lock. “Have you found out who released the news?”
Shadow Thirteen nodded. “Shadow Six checked. It’s Xu Shao.”
Yan Jiuchao seemed to have finally remembered something. His hand that was playing with the Kong Ming Lock paused. “Oh, that old thing isn’t dead yet.”
During this period of time, he had been busy recuperating and had “cold-shouldered” Xu Shao. This fellow first schemed against him in Prefecture Xu and then sent someone to a.s.sa.s.sinate him. He was even bolder than Yan Huaijing.
“Young Master, do you want me to—” Shadow Thirteen made a throat-slitting gesture.
Yan Jiuchao raised his eyebrows. “It’s just a dog. There’s no point in killing him. He hasn’t contacted his backer yet.”
Shadow Thirteen said, “No, Xu Shao has been very cautious recently. He didn’t do anything else other than spreading rumors.”
Yan Jiuchao played with the Kongming Lock and said, “Then let him bark for a few more days.”
“Yes.” Shadow Thirteen frowned as he thought of something. “Those rumors…”
Yan Jiuchao snorted indifferently. “Let them talk! If they call me a short-lived ghost, will I really become a short-lived ghost? Everybody called out ‘Long live, Your Majesty’. But have you seen any Emperor who really lived long?”
Shadow Thirteen: “…” You make so much sense that I can’t refute.
The clothes in the Yunshui Aula were handed over to Bai Tang. After she received them, she would send them directly to the Young Master Manor.
In order to prepare for Yu Wan’s wedding, the workshop rested for three days. The Drunken Immortal Pavilion also temporarily reduced orders.
The Yu family had prepared the dishes for the wedding banquet the day before the wedding. According to local customs, Yu Wan would be picked up by the groom after breakfast, but the bride side’s banquet would take an entire day. This was much more lively than building a house. Master Qin sent a few capable chefs over. The villagers went to the Yu family to see if they could help.
The villagers came and went. The little fellows did not know what had happened, but they kept their black eyes wide open and looked around curiously.
Little Bruiser knew that his sister was getting married and that he would have a brother-in-law from now on. However, he did not realize what marriage meant. Things had been so chaotic these few days that he did not need to study and there was good food every meal. He was quite happy.
At night, all the men in the house fell asleep. Madam Jiang came to Yu Wan’s room.
Yu Wan had just covered Xiaobao with a blanket when she turned around and saw Madam Jiang standing in front of the bed. She said in surprise, “Mom? It’s so late. Why aren’t you resting?”
Madam Jiang sat down by the bed.
The oil lamp in the room was out, but moonlight shone through the window and landed on the ground.
“I have something for you,” Madam Jiang said.
Yu Wan sat up. “What is it?”
Madam Jiang opened her palm and handed a safety talisman to her daughter. This safety talisman looked old. The corners were furry, and there was a bead the size of a finger inside.
Madam Jiang said, “Your grandmother gave it to me before I got married.”
“Huh? Didn’t Grandpa and Grandma pa.s.s away very early?” Although Yu Wan didn’t have any memories of the past, she had heard some things about her parents from her aunt. Back then, her father had taken a job in town and went to Wan City to deliver something. In the end, he met her lonely mother. The two of them fell in love at first sight. When her father heard that her mother was an orphan, he brought her back to the village after obtaining his mother’s permission. After that, the two of them began to get married.
“She pa.s.sed away,” Madam Jiang said. But she did not say if she died early or not.
Yu Wan thought that it must have been given to her mother by her grandmother when she was in Wan City. After her grandmother pa.s.sed away, her mother met her father.
Yu Wan gladly accepted it. “Thank you, Mom.”
Madam Jiang rubbed her head gently.
Yu Wan blushed. She often rubbed the little munchkins’ heads like this and had almost forgotten that in her mother’s eyes, she was also a child she doted on.
“Go to sleep,” Madam Jiang said.
“Okay.” Yu Wan nodded and lay back under the blanket.
Madam Jiang tucked her in. Yu Wan thought that she would not be able to sleep, but when her mother’s hand covered her forehead, she felt at ease and fell asleep not long after.
… .
Yu Wan was woken up by the sound of firecrackers. She opened her eyes in a daze and stared blankly at the empty roof beams for a long time. Suddenly, she realized that it was the sixteenth today and she was going to get married!